castleinthemist | 02

Entry tags:

02 - open

Toph knew she found the courtyard through various senses. She could smell the fresh air, hear the birds, and feel the warm sunlight and cool breeze. The hard stone from the castle faded into softer walkway stone as she moved out into the yard. When her feet touched the grass, she smiled to herself. No longer was the resonance of vibration from the earth surging out and back at her with all its strength. Instead, it met resistance and the grass muffled her senses as it tickled her feet, creating a sort of static for her until it gave way under her soles to let foot meet soil and allow the reverberations communicate to her nearly half a second later than solid ground.

It was a strange sensation, but she welcomed it. It calmed her, and she continued to smile while she moved to what she thought was a nice spot.

She breathed calmly and evenly as she took her stance. One move, another, and then a third, and a perfectly shaped chaise rose up from the ground. She felt proud of herself as she moved to it and lay down, body lying comfortably against the contour of the grass-covered reclining seat.

Once decidedly comfortable, Toph pulled a flask from her belt and took a drink from it. Nice, cool water. She'd stolen the idea from another castle inhabitant and had made one out of a chunk of metal ripped from her bed frame. He used his for naughty juice; she used hers for water.

Toph felt a little guilty. Most of the castle was trying to figure out how to get out of there. She, though, wasn't putting so much effort into it. Sure, she wanted to leave, but what could she do? She'd promised a new friend that she wouldn't go far without eyes to help her spot the monsters she couldn't detect. While she wanted to do her part of the exploring and searching for a way home, she didn't want to be useless in a fight against a flying shadow with claws.

There were very few times that Toph would admit her blindness to be a hindrance. A skirmish against the monsters that moved without contact or sound was one of those very few times.

"I'll just wait for a friend," she told no one before closing her eyes and laying her head back against her arm.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You did what?!" Duo practically yelped, flailing where he stood, missing pretty much everything after 'went to look at those train tracks'.

"Are you insane?! What if you got grabbed again?! We don't know what those things DO, man!"

"What am I doing? What are you doing? You tell me not to go out there alone, and yet you're here, breaking your own rules?"

She cocked her head and folded her arms.

"Just as I was complimenting you, too."

Being yelled at by his double was bad enough, but by two people? At once? Damn if his curiosity didn't get the best of him. How to talk his way out of this one? There were no excuses.

"Sorry! Sorry. Okay? It was stupid. Reaaaally stupid." What those shadows did? He didn't know, and he didn't want to. Yeah. Stupid. He looks over to Toph and shakes his head incredulously.

Aaah. Dammit. Now he's a hypocrite too? "You're right. But when I told you that it was under the impression you still can't see those flying ones."

He stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. So he messed up. Doesn't he get to do that once in a while?

Edited 2012-02-10 08:08 (UTC)

Duo scowled at his other, fully agreeing with Toph on this one. But the chastised look on his face made him pull back a little and sigh reluctantly.

"... just be more careful, okay? Hard enough to survive like this."

"You have the eyes, I have the ammunition. That's what we agreed, Space Brains," she was ultimately just worried about him, but she wasn't so sure how to just say it. Or show it. Or just express it without it being confused as something else entirely.

"Just be more careful," she ordered, almost in tandem with the other. She cocked an ear to him before ignoring him again.

She still wasn't too happy with him.

Shorty, her fat, flying fanny.

"I got it. Next time, I'll grab one of you guys or Heero. Deal?" He took in a deep breath and heaved a sigh, looking between them with an almost amused smile.

"What the hell were you two fighting about?" He said, shaking his head and placing his hands on his hips. He ignored the nickname aside from a snorted laugh.

"Deal," Duo nodded with a relieved look, that was gone an instant later when the question came up. He deflated, scratching at his ear and looking away sheepishly.

"I... said some sh-- ... crap... I probably shouldn't have..." he admitted, looking to Toph apologetically even though she couldn't see it. "... truce?"

At least he knew how to play fair and not be a complete ass about everything?

It wasn't nearly that easy for Toph to admit wrong doing on her part. She only turned her head away, arms folded, before shooting him a quick, "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

After all... he DID start it, as far as she was concerned.

"So when are we going?" She asked the older one, fingers tapping against her forearm impatiently.

Duo was glad his double took the higher ground in this case and he nodded approvingly. No more fighting with those two, he'd make sure of it.

"We are going to go hunt for supplies. You can bend metal like you did before, right? So we go find some metal like those iron fences and see if you can make us some supplies and weapons. Sound like a good use of your skill, Toph?" It took a bit to remind himself not to call her kiddo, but he would eventually.

For once he was actually willing to admit that yes, he did start it, but he was just as willing to relent and admit he was in the wrong.

He at least wanted to try to get along with her, for his double's sake.

He let the two of them talk, standing by quietly but listening to the plan. Weapons and supplies. Damn good idea.

"That sounds nice and dandy," She agreed. "Where is the metal, though?"

Unless he meant the beds and bars on the windows. That wasn't a bad idea to her, but some of their castle mates might not appreciate it.

He'd already mentioned one source, being the iron fences he'd seen. He snorted in amusement and started walking, making a noticeable pause at the entrance back into the castle. He was horrified of those shadows, why go back out there?

He took a deep breath and marched forward. "I don't know where the metal is, let's just go look for some and hope we get lucky."

Duo watched his double carefully from where he stood, catching the hesitation and frowning at it. He didn't blame him for still being afraid after what happened. The thought of the shadows even gave him chills still.

He didn't say anything, at least right then, and just followed quietly after him and Toph until he fell in step next to his double.

"Hey... we got your back, man. Whatever happens," he said quietly.

"Yeah, don't worry about anything," Toph told him. She was all smiles and confidence as she moved past him to walk in front of him.

"You're safe with me."

She paused to sock him in the forearm before walking only a few steps ahead.

He snorted humorlessly and continued walking along side of them through the common room. He needed to suck it up and go on. It was in his nature to jump into the action, not cower from it. Sure, he ran when he had to and he didn't go looking for fights, but he was a warrior. A soldier.

"I know." He said, stretching arms back behind his head to stretch them. "I really am acting like a cowardly fool, aren't I?"

He continued on, chuckling mirthlessly at Toph's comment. "Let's hope so."

C'mon. Get your game back, Maxwell.

"I don't blame you, yehknow..." Duo said, staying where he was in stride next to his double even as Toph went on ahead of them. He kept an eye on the smaller girl, though. She could handle herself, obviously, but that didn't make him worry any less about the very thing the other was fretting over.

"Those things give me the fuckin' creeps... and I only had to swing at 'em... can't even begin to imagine what you're goin' through..."

Toph, well ahead by then, stopped and turned towards them. She wanted to make fun of them, REALLY wanted to call them panises or pussy cats, but she couldn't do it. She could feel their tension, their careful breathing, their apprehension. These boys were truly scared.

Her look of sympathy and empathy was apparent for a second or two, even at a distance, but almost as soon as she was aware of it she stomped it down and gave them a one-armed shrug, the other hand on her hip.

"It can't be that bad. I'm sure you're making a big deal out of nothing."

This time, she stayed at their side, arms behind her head, once they caught up to her. She was doing her best to try and liven them up.

"Could be right, Toph. Could be right." Was his maligned response to Toph's assertion and he let out an exasperated sigh. He just had to get himself out and face it, but why was he scared? He considered it, back to being pulled back in. It was like facing death, something he's already done before and barely just recovered from it.

"It's dark stuff, Toph. Sticks with yah. But I'm not gonna let them do that a second time." His uncertain expression faded to one of irritation and he shook his head. "To hell with it. It's not gonna happen, man. No way. Let's go." He walked forward at a bit of a faster pace, patting Toph on the back as he passed her.

After a few yards he looked back to his double. "Hey. Bro. What do you think we should make anyway? Weapon wise? You fought em, after all."

Bro? That was... different, unexpected even. But... not completely unwelcome. Hell, they were brothers in a very strange, cosmic sense. It worked, and he wasn't going to call the other out on it, especially if it made him feel better about the situation as a whole.

"Uh... well... all I did was grab a thing of wood that was leaning against one of the walls. It wasn't very heavy... bet if those damn things hadn't fallen they woulda been back up after one hit. ... soo..." he drawled, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Something heavier than that would probably be more effective, in that case."

The Earthbender pouted, slumping just a little.

"Well, whatever you have in mind, I need to know what it is. With everything that's different between your world and mine, I can only imagine the weaponry is different, too.

"Hot air balloons are barely a new, ground breaking development for us. You and your 'technology' and 'floating around the earth' and 'far away suns' lead me to believe what you have in mind and what I have in mind as far as weaponry are not the same thing."

"Doesn't need to be too heavy that you can't lift it." Duo said under his breath, walking onwards until they hit the hallway that he'd explored with Ratchet before.

"Here's some metal along these windows right here." Why not grab it? Ain't like anybody is using it. He looked at it, pausing. So what to make?

"Sword? Staff? It's gotta be light enough not to make your self get tired too soon and heavy enough to swing hard to kick some ass, right?" He still mulls it over, thinking back to the little bender.

"How about a riot club?"

Duo stared at Toph in slight confusion. He really didn't know anything about her, except that she was young, blind, and could move rocks just by moving her body. Her comment didn't make much sense, but he figured whatever his double had told her had given her some insight in to their world and from the sounds of it, they were severely advanced in comparison.

"Uh..." he shook his head, dismissing the thoughts to focus on the task at hand. "Riot club? Like what police officers use?"

"I can do a club," she told them as she moved over to the window. She reached up and knocked on the bars with one knuckle before lightly touching it with her finger tips. Yep, she could bend that.

She wrapped her hands around bars and with a deep inhale through her nose, ripped the bars off the window and into the hall.

"Yes!" She hissed to herself, grinning as she began molding and shifting the metal, working hand over hand with her Bending to make an acceptable arsenal for them. The metal moved with her will like putty.

"I don't know how accurate these are. I never took the time to examine weapons back home because I never thought I'd need reference. This isn't a whole lot of metal to work with, anyway."

Regardless, she easily crafted a Water tribe influenced club and had just enough left over to make a kama, something she'd noticed was used frequently both as a agriculture tool as well as a weapon.

When she was done, she stepped back from the wrought iron weapons and cracked her knuckles.

"There. How's that?"

"Yeah. Police or military." Duo nodded at his double, though noting his confusion at what Toph had said where he just shrugged it off. Guess he shoulda explained that stuff better the other night. Turning his attention to the pipsqueak. To his sober mind the action against the metal was a shock, but he quickly remembered that she'd done the same thing with him not too long before with that metal piece around her arm, and then this was exactly what he'd planned on her doing.

It's just seeing her in action? Whoa. He watched the metal twist and turn before she finalized the two pieces. He reached over and picked up the kama.

"Well well... Toph. Anyone ever said you have a knack for the ironic?"

"Holy hell..." Duo breathed after watching her work, more than shocked and amazed that she'd been able to pull that off so well. What else could he say? It was like watching a damn miracle in the making, that was for sure.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject